Hell Bound
by Luciferine
Summary: Sequel to 'Straight On 'Til Morning'. Joel and Ellie finally get to Tommy's, but the family reunion isn't as joyous an occasion as they might have hoped. Pre- Joel/Ellie if you squint. Tommy/Maria


The standoff occurring just on the inside of the dam's massive metal gate was something worthy of an old western. Despite the situation, Joel's mouth quirks upward, just slightly. He used to love those stupid old movies. No one catches the quirk. Well, no one except Ellie. But he's stopped counting her as a separate entity at this point. They may as well be the same person. Ellie and Joel. EllieandJoel. Running together like spilled ink on a page. And ain't that the damndest thing. She gives him a questioning look and he shakes his head minutely. Later. She seems to understand it's not the most important detail at this point in time so she lets it go.

The situation in question is… Complicated. To say the least. In an uncharacteristic show of meekness, Ellie is standing behind him, eyes trained on the ground except when they flick up to meet his. It's just as well. He would have shoved her behind him anyways, the second they came in and he saw Tommy looking like someone had just massacred half his settlement. Which, he supposes, he and Ellie have. Inadvertently. Fuck. This is gonna be a bitch to explain, isn't it? The look on his brother's face has shifted so quickly, it was a wonder he hadn't torn a nerve. Or something. Whatever there is in faces to tear. Dammit, Joel. Focus.

Tommy's face had been full of relief and delight and a hundred other things that made Joel's heart feel a bit lighter. But then Ellie had peaked out from under his arm and Tommy's face had fallen. Joel's right hand is poised near his revolver. His gut roils at the idea of shooting his baby brother, but if he tries anything to hurt Ellie… To bring her back to that awful place… Well. Joel has a fuckload of nightmare fodder already. What's one more?

Tommy seems to know that, because he stays completely still. Joel's right hand clenches and unclenches, until he feels something warm and soft slip in. He squeezes Ellie's hand and she squeezes back. They're both tensed, ready to run, to fight. But Ellie seems calm. Or maybe she's just better at hiding it than he is. Fuck if he knows. Ellie's better than him at a lot of things, and in a lot of ways. For a brief moment he remembers her on the operating table, ready to give up everything for everyone else and he grits his teeth. Yeah. She's a whole lot better than him. Too good for her own good, if you ask him. That's why he's here. Rough and fucked over and brutal. Someone needs to protect that damn kid from herself.

Joel blinks and realizes they must have passed through the gate less than five minutes ago. Time has barely passed, and yet he feels like he's never stood still for so long. Finally, Tommy clears his throat. Ellie's hand has what feels to be a small seizure and suddenly she's clenching his hand so hard he thinks she's drawing blood with her nails.

"We're OK." He mutters under his breath, smiling despite himself. She snorts quietly, the sound more amused than terrified. That's something, at least.

"Joel." Tommy speaks up, nodding slightly. "Ellie." Joel shifts slightly, at that, trying to block the girl entirely from view. He gets a punch in his lower back for his trouble and he winces, taking the hint ad shuffling over so they're standing side by side, now.

"Hi, Tommy." Ellie says quietly, offering a small wave with the hand that isn't currently shredding Joel's. Joel simply grunts in acknowledgement. Ellie kicks him in the back of the shin.

"Tommy." He mutters. Ellie rolls her eyes, but at least she doesn't attempt more bodily harm. There's a bout of silence that is more than slightly awkward. Joel spots Maria out of the corner of his eye. She hovers tentatively a few yards behind Tommy. Maria does not strike him as the hovering sort, which means Joel isn't imagining the thick tension in the air.

It's not just the four of them, either. Everyone in the vicinity has stopped whatever they were doing before him and Ellie had barged in. Too many eyes are on them. Joel finds himself running through possible escape and, if necessary, attack options. Most of them are armed. He's taken out a whole troop of Fireflies but that doesn't make these people and their guns any less dangerous. It doesn't make him or Ellie any less dead if they get shot, either. He's been fucking lucky up until now. Luck runs out. Tommy must see the cornered animal look on his face because he holds up his hands in a sign of peace. His gun is still in his holster.

"Everybody clear out." Tommy says, and Joel's never heard him like this. Authoritative. Totally in control. It irks Joel for some reason even as he feels pride, possibly because he feels so out of control at the moment. Reluctantly, the settlers obey. Joel sees the question in their eyes as they look at him, and the suspicion. A few of their eyes rest on Ellie a little too long for his liking and his teeth flash momentarily. They move faster. Eventually it's just them, Maria, and Tommy. Tommy deflates, rubbing a hand across his face. Joel notices now that his hair has more grey in it than the last time they met. His wrinkles seem to have multiplied as well.

"He looks old." Ellie whispers to him, echoing his thoughts. Joel simply nods. His little brother isn't so little anymore. He feels an odd pang in his heart at the thought, but shakes it off. Maria walks up to her husband, now, and puts a hand on his shoulder. He seems to relax slightly.

"Come on in." Tommy says quietly, and turns and walks away without another word. Joel follows cautiously, hand still by his revolver. Ellie doesn't let go of his hand. One entity. EllieandJoel EllieandJoel. Whether they run or fight or die, they're damn well going to do it together. Neither of them is going to play hero. At this point, it'd just be stupid. They're fucking lost without each other. It occurs to him about two minutes in that Ellie doesn't have a gun on her. He contemplates passing her one, but he doesn't want to instigate anything, either. He'd rather avoid a fight here. Ellie doesn't seem too bothered by it so he tries to put it out of his head. Tommy leads them somewhere new. There's a battered old desk and a shitload of papers covering everything, and Joel makes out a few old pictures tacked to the walls.

"You have an office?" He's probably a second away from getting shot in the fucking head and he can't keep the laugh out of his voice. Tommy never stuck to anything for very long. The idea of his brother having an _office_ just tickles him. Tommy shoots him a look and Ellie steps on his foot, but no guns are drawn so that's a plus.

"Yes. I have an office." And for a second, he's the sassy younger brother Joel knew and loved and they both crack a smile despite themselves. Tommy rubs his face again, and just like that he's the old man once more. "Dammit, Joel." He looks up at the ceiling and exhales loudly. "What happened?" Joel and Ellie freeze at the exact same time. Just like that. The moment of truth.

"They stopped looking for a cure." Ellie blurts out, parroting Joel's earlier words. Joel is damn proud his face remains impassive when he feels like a fucking truck just hit him on the inside. Maria makes a sound that is less shock and more agonized acceptance, like she knew all along and Ellie just confirmed it. Tommy's stopped breathing.

"Bullshit." He growls. Joel opens his mouth to argue but Tommy cuts him off before he can even start. "I call bullshit. I know the Fireflies. They would _never_... They'd rather die than-" And he stops talking. His eyes grow wide and he looks at his brother as if he's seeing him for the first time. "What did you do?" It's not the type of question you deny. Joel sets his jaw and looks away. "Joel, what the _fuck_ did you do?!" And he's roaring now, fists clenched and he's stepping towards them and all Joel can think about is what if he hurts Ellie oh god no and Maria is grabbing Tommy and Joel is pushing Ellie back and trying to untangle their hands and someone's going to die he can feel it and then-

Ellie calmly walks past Joel and stands between them. Joel's vocal chords seem to have frozen in sheer terror. He can't make a sound.

"Back off." That's it. Faced with an angry, desperate man twice her size and more than twice her age, that's all she says. Calmly, collectedly, like she was talking to a disobedient dog and not someone who could snap her neck. She doesn't offer excuses or explanations. Joel's hands aren't moving. He's trying to get his revolver, trying so fucking hard but his hands aren't fucking moving and if Tommy hurts her he'll shoot him and then shoot himself for being so fucking useless in a crisis.

And then, to Joel's complete and utter shock and what appears to be Maria's admiration, Ellie make Tommy back up. She takes a step forward, and he steps back. His posture becomes less aggressive only by a fraction, but it's enough. Ellie nods her head and retreats to Joel's side. He grabs her around the waist and pulls her close tightly enough that it'll probably bruise but fuck it she's alive she's alive she's ok thank _god._ Ellie, to her credit, takes it good-naturedly and even pats his arm reassuringly. Even though she doesn't speak, he can still hear it. _We're OK_. Maria is watching them and her gaze is penetrating enough that Joel has to look away. He looks at Ellie instead, and sees that she's meeting the older woman's gaze head-on, hand tightening on his arm. She raises an eyebrow. He looks back at Maria, who chuckles under her breath and shakes her head, mystified, before looking at her husband.

Tommy has deflated completely and is leaning against his desk. His eyes are shiny and he keeps swallowing, like he's trying desperately not to cry. Joel sighs, deep in his chest, and slumps down to the floor, dragging Ellie with him. She shoves at his legs until she's sitting between them, her back pressed against his chest. He rests her chin on the top of her head and shuts his eyes, collecting himself.

"The university was a bust." He begins. Tommy looks at him incredulously, like he wasn't expecting an explanation. "There were… recordings. They talked about this hospital in Boston so we went there. Tried to, at least. There was a river and broken-down buses and I got trapped and Ellie nearly fucking drowned trying to save me…" He stops then and looks away, then. Ellie bumps his chin with her head and he smiles despite himself, settling his arm back around her. "One of those bastards knocked me out and when I woke up I was in the goddamn place and Marlene was there-"

"Marlene?" Tommy interrupts. "She still kicking?"

"Not anymore." Ellie mutters. Joel stiffens. They're going to have a long talk after the immediate danger has passed. He can feel it. He'd rather face an army of Bloaters, but… They need it. Tommy is looking at him funny again and Joel groans.

"This is going to be a really long fucking story." He warns. Tommy blinks, apparently still processing the fact that his brother was able to take down _Marlene_, of all people. It's Maria who gets herself together in a timely fashion.

"Come to our room. We can talk comfortably and privately." She takes Tommy by the hand and leads him out. Ellie stands and turns around, offering her hand.

"Ellie…" Joel starts, the lump in his throat choking him. She raises one eyebrow.

"You coming, old man?" And her voice is light, teasing, but he can here the steel underneath. They are going to do this. He sighs in defeat and takes her hand.

He's beginning to get the feeling that he's going to get led into trouble a whole fucking lot by that hand. He can't bring himself to feel concerned at the prospect.

**AN: Fucking hell. That was a lot of writing. I hope you're all fucking happy. Two fics in two days. I was planning on writing the confrontation between Ellie and Joel, but then I wanted it to take place and Tommy's and then I figured I'd have to explain how things went down once they got there and… yeah. This happened. The confrontation will happen next time. I think. Unless the story takes on a mind of its own again. Anyways. Naughty Dog owns everything, all mistakes are mine, etc etc. Let me know what you thought. **


End file.
